1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and to an installation for killing poultry. The method and installation may be used for in an industrial manner and at high production rate halal killing of poultry.
2. Description of Related Art
In the process for obtaining halal poultry carcasses and poultry parts and meat it is of major importance that the poultry up to killing remain in a comfortable stage of good feeling. Stress is to be avoided as much as possible.
The prescribed method of ritual slaughter of all animals consists of a swift, deep transverse incision with a sharp knife across the neck, cutting through the windpipe, the food pipe, the vagus nerve jugular veins and carotid arteries of both sides but leaving the spinal cord intact. Furthermore it opens the circulatory system that is at high pressure to the air causing pressure to equalize and the blood pressure in the brain to fall to zero. As the brain requires a constant flow of blood under pressure for the animal to retain consciousness, anemia of the brain causes loss of awareness and perception.
If the poultry after being brought in a suspended position hanging downwardly from the legs, is not in a stage of good feeling and relaxation, it will be difficult if at all possible to correctly kill the animal. The animal will become stressed and will fiddle and sway around by waving with its wings. In such a situation killing will occur in an uncontrolled manner so that there is a real risk that an animal is not swiftly and properly killed. This is considered an unacceptable impact on correct animal treatment and an offence of animal integrity.
In addition, if poultry under stress its muscles will contract resulting in insufficient bleeding and debleeding. This will have an adverse effect on the ultimate quality of the obtained halal slaughtered poultry.
Furthermore, the suspended animal may be anxious in exploring the surroundings while suspended. This means that the animal is relatively movable with head and/or wings which makes electro-stunning relatively uncontrolled and often insufficient or not effective.
It is the object of the invention to provide a method according to the invention which method avoids to a major extent the above mentioned risks and disadvantages and substantially all animals are properly halal killed in a controlled manner and at high production rate. This method of the invention allows in a controlled manner halal killing of poultry at a minimum risk for inappropriate or even no killing.